IUCN status: Vulnerable
EPBC Predator Threat Rating: Very high
IUCN claim: “Recent research has demonstrated marked detrimental impact of introduced predators: Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral Domestic Cats (Felis catus)”
Plains rats were more common inside a predator-proof fenced area compared to the cattle station outside (Read & Cunningham 2010; Moseby et al. 2020). Cats hunt rats (Pavey et al. 2008; Pavey et al. 2014). Rats were last confirmed at Koonchera Dune, SA, 51-61 years after cats arrived (Current submission).
Rats were last confirmed in NSW 40-10 years before cats arrived (Current submission).
The higher plains rat abundance outside a predator-proof fence is
striking. However, certainty is low because data comes from a single
study and the area outside is a cattle station. In one region the
extirpation record pre-dates the cat arrival record.
Abbott, The spread of the cat, Felis catus, in Australia: re-examination of the current conceptual model with additional information. Conservation Science Western Australia 7 (2008).
Current submission (2023) Scant evidence that introduced predators cause extinctions.
EPBC. (2015) Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by Feral Cats. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Department of Environment, Government of Australia. (Table A1).
IUCN Red List. https://www.iucnredlist.org/ Accessed June 2023
Moseby, K.E., McGregor, H., Hill, B.M. and Read, J.L., 2020. Exploring the internal and external wildlife gradients created by conservation fences. Conservation Biology, 34(1), pp.220-231.
Pavey, C.R., Cole, J.R., McDonald, P.J. and Nano, C.E., 2014. Population dynamics and spatial ecology of a declining desert rodent, Pseudomys australis: the importance of refuges for persistence. Journal of Mammalogy, 95(3), pp.615-625.
Pavey, C.R., Eldridge, S.R. and Heywood, M., 2008. Population dynamics and prey selection of native and introduced predators during a rodent outbreak in arid Australia. Journal of Mammalogy, 89(3), pp.674-683.
Read, J.L. and Cunningham, R., 2010. Relative impacts of cattle grazing and feral animals on an Australian arid zone reptile and small mammal assemblage. Austral Ecology, 35(3), pp.314-324.